Estimating the needs for temporary accommodation units to improve pre-disaster urban planning in seismic risk cities

Abstract

Earthquakes have been destructive events for the built environment, particularly for urban areas due to the concentration of people and constructions. Two of the important effects are damaged or destroyed houses and the homeless. In these scenarios, the provision of temporary accommodation solutions is one of the most important post-disaster actions to provide for minimum living conditions. However, the implemented solutions frequently end in undesirable outcomes for victims and cities.Pre-disaster planning has been considered the best way to minimize consequences and promote better emergency management. This way, the paper presents a tool to estimate temporary accommodation units needs (TETAN) aiming to forecast necessities in terms of space and resources to supply temporary units after hypothetical scenarios of damage and destruction caused by earthquakes and defined according to the modified Mercalli Scale. The tool is assessed in two cities with high seismic risk, analysing and discussing the results, as well as suggesting measures and strategies which can be considered in the urban planning of both cases, not only for pre-disaster planning of temporary accommodation but also for built environmental risk reduction. These strategies provide for the connection of pre-disaster planning and urban planning, increasing the resilience of cities and their inhabitants.